Last Review of the Year - December 22, 2014

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Recent Reviews:

My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins (received through NetGalley)
4 stars



This set of young adult stories captures the spirit of the holidays.  I liked some of these stories better than others and especially enjoyed the stories written by Rainbow Rowell, Gayle Forman, Stephanie Perkins and Kiersten White.  Whenever I tried to read multiple stories in one evening I found that I did not enjoyed the as much so I recommend reading one of these stories per night.  This collection is the perfect read for the season and I am fortunate to have received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

The Duke in my Bed by Amelia Grey
3.5 stars



My mood for historical romances continues and I was especially excited for this one because the plot seemed perfect.  As a viscount lays dying, he forces a vow from his friend, the Duke of Drakestone, to take care of his five sisters by marrying his eldest sister Louisa.  The Duke, a notorious rake and gambler, agrees but then puts off the unpleasant task for two years as he sows his oats.  Finally, he proposes marriage to disastrous results and has to re-evaluate his own views on love and family.  I really liked the plot and the Duke but felt that it fell flat in parts especially when in Louisa's wishy-washy perspective.  Overall, this was an humorous and heartfelt historical romance.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rocks - December 17, 2014

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Recent Reviews:

Black Diamonds:  The Downfall of an Aristocratic Dynasty and the Fifty Years that Changed England by Catherine Bailey (received through Penguin's First to Read Program)
4.5 stars



This book pretty much had everything...from aristocratic Englishmen, to World Wars, to impoverished miners to the Kennedys.  Never dull, it follows one dynasty, the Earls of Wentworth, as they build up, then destroy their fortune based mostly on coal.  Perspectives switch from the Fitzwilliam saga, to the lives of the local miners, and to the overall political situation in England.  This was a time when the attitudes regarding the noble families was changing and the economic disparity between villager and nobleman was becoming obscene.  Covering the years before World War I to after World War II, the book's pace never slows.  Dense with information, I never found myself bored or lost interest.  I recommend this for fans of Downton Abbey or Ken Follett's Century Trilogy.  I received an E-Galley of this book from the First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review.


Rocks: My Life in and Out of Aerosmith  by Joe Perry (received through NetGalley)
3 stars




Joe Perry writes an interesting but fairly typical account of his life as a rock star.  As a guitarist for Aerosmith, he has embodied the hard-living rock star lifestyle.  I enjoyed reading about his early years and about his turbulent, yet fruitful, relationship with Steven Tyler but I felt it didn't really add to much to the genre.  I recommend this book to fans of the group or those that have a real interest in behind the scenes glimpses of the rockstar lifestyle.  I received this book from NetGally in exchange for an honest review. 

Paranoia and Repression - December 15, 2014

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Recent Reviews:

Without You, There Is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea's Elite by Suki Kim (received through Blogging for Books)
4.5 stars



Journalist Suki Kim was presented with the opportunity to teach at a privileged, and unusual, school newly opened in North Korea by Missionaries. She spent her time covertly writing her book and getting to know the sons of elite members of the DPRK.  The author excels at capturing the repressive and claustrophobic nature of the isolated country.  She is constantly watched and must censor herself in every aspect of her life.  The young adults that she teaches are basically brainwashed from birth to believe that everything about their country is superior in every way.  This book marks the first I have read about North Korea and while I have read news reports, the insiders look was stunning to me.  I did find that some parts of her reporting is vague and I am not sure if she left things out or else never really did discover why things occurred at the school.  This book studies just one facet of one group in this country but it give an excellent glimpse into this strange world.  The portraits of the students are unbiased and her own feelings of unease are unsettling.  I definitely recommend this to anyone who would like a different and clear-eyed take on this country.  I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.


Fever by Megan Abbott (received through NetGalley)
4 stars



One day, in the middle of class, Deenie's best friend Lise falls out of her chair and begins to convulse.  From that moment forward, things are not the same within the school and among the teenage girls as one by one they begin exhibiting strange and worrisome symptoms.  Are the mandatory HPV vaccines to blame or toxic lake water?  These are the questions that parents are grappling with as they attempt to protect their daughters.  I think Megan Abbott's writing is flawless and she packs so many high button issues on parenting and the environment while managing to tell a strange and mesmerizing story.  I did find myself uncomfortable with her somewhat unfavorable depictions of women and teenage girls.  They are seen as hysterical, disloyal and mostly unlikable.  Regardless, I found this to be an engrossing book and one that I would recommend.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Unwrapped by Massey Yates (received through NetGalley)
3 stars

  

Novellas and short stories are nice format for the holiday season and this is one of many that I have read so far.  Sarah is a thirty year old woman living a repressed life after the death of her stern grandmother in a insular town.  She resolves to change her life, starting with losing her virginity in a one night stand with a fascinating new stranger.  Afterwards she discovers that the fascinating stranger is actually the father of her new kindergarten student and all sorts of complications occur.  I liked the story and Sarah.  I wasn't a big fan of Walker who used the terms like "baby" and such a little too much for me.  Overall it is a nice, fluffy novella to read for the holidays.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tis the Season - December 12, 2014

In the coming week, I hope to finish all of the books that I have started in order to wrap up the year cleanly.  I also plan on reading some fluffy Christmas stories.  I have included two recent ones below. 

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Recent Reviews:

Christmas on Chestnut Street by Nancy Thayer (received through NetGalley)
4 Stars



Jilly is entering into a period of her life in which her two daughters are grown and she is sort of at a loss about how to move on.  Lauren, with her own perfect family and Felicia entering into a marriage that seems unconventional to Jilly. The story alternates between Jilly's burgeoning discomfort with this holiday season and Felicia's upcoming nuptials to outdoorsy Archie.  At the beginning I was not sure I would like this book with Jilly's controlling, meddling behavior but a very touching story emerged and I greatly appreciated the realistic characters.  This was a short, light read but perfect for the Christmas season.  I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 


The Kiss Before Midnight by Sophie Pembroke (received through NetGalley) 
4 stars



In this short, delightful Novella, Molly and Jake examine the feelings caused by a kiss last Christmas.  Jake has always been an important part of Molly's family and has always treated her like a little sister... until a growing attraction last holiday season left them reevaluating their place in each other's lives.  This Christmas Molly plans on getting Jake out of her system and Jake unsuccessfully plans on ignoring Molly altogether.  I loved the focus on family and I enjoyed Molly's realization that it was time in her life to make grown-up decisions.  I really liked all the characters and thought this was the perfect length for a nice Christmas love story.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Short Reviews - December 9, 2014

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Recent Reviews:

The Red Magician by Lisa Goldstein (received through NetGalley)
4 stars



A National Award Winning book in the 1980's, this short novel follows one teenage girl and her village during World War II and the holocaust.   When a strange red-haired magician comes to Kicsi's Hungarian village to warn them of their impending doom in a concentration camp, he makes enemies with a local Rabbi and as a result the villagers choose not to heed his warning.  This is simply yet beautifully written and the descriptions of life in the concentration camp are some of the most heart-breaking that I have read.  The magic parts are sometime confusing but I thought this sad yet hopeful book was amazing.  I received eBook form of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


What a Duke Dares by Anna Campbell
3 stars




Cam and Pen grew up together, both dealing with scandalous families.  While Pen has tried to escape by traveling, Cam has thrown himself into being an honorable Duke.  When Pen's dying brother asks Cam to bring his sister home, they are thrust into an adventurous growing attraction.  While I liked the actual storyline of this historical romance, I found myself growing frustrated with the characters whose thought processes just didn't seem realistic.  I had no problems finishing this book but I wasn't as entranced with it as I was hoping I would be.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Not So Dangerous Reading - December 5, 2014

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Recent Reviews:

The Year of Reading Dangerously by Andy Miller (received through Edelweiss)
4.5 stars



As an exuberant fan of books about books, I have learned that they sometimes fall short of my expectations for them.  This one definitely did not.  Author Andy Miller was having a sort of mid-life, existential crises and like many bibliophiles, turned to books to see his way out.  He set a "List of Betterment" that included fifty books that he always pretended to have read.  The books include classics such as Middlemarch and Moby Dick and more obscure works (in the U.S. at least) like Absolute Beginners.  Some of these books I would never pick up but I enjoyed reading about his enthusiasm for them and how the whole experience slowly started to change his life.  I especially loved his chapter about War and Peace and how once his wife read it, she never read the same way again.  He perfectly captures the power of great books and the possibility of connecting to books in very personal ways.  There were some anecdotes included in this book that I didn't think were necessarily interesting or needed, however I highly recommend this to fellow readers.  I received this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 

Only Enchanting by Mary Balogh (received through Goodreads First Reads)
3 stars



This novel is the next in the Survivor's' Club series, about a group of mostly men gravely injured in war.  This time following Flavian, Viscount Posonby, who suffered an almost fatal shot to the head that took several years to recover.  In the process, his fiancé left him for his best friend.  He struggles to remember some of the past and can't always figure out the correct order of events.  Enter Agnes Keeping, a widow living a quiet life in a cottage with her sister, who unsuccessfully attempts to avoid falling in love with the rakish Viscount.  What I love best about Balogh's books are the level-headedness of her heroines.  There are no unnecessary hysterics or frustrating plot devices used to cause conflicts between the love interests.  I did find this book incredibly slow and the dialogue strangely circular.  I felt like the same conversation kept taking place between Flavian and Agnes.  That said, I liked the two characters and enjoyed reading about their relationship.  I received this book from the Goodreads First-reads Program. 

Ship of Brides - Decemer 2, 2014

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The Ship of Brides by Jojo Noyes (received through NetGalley)
5 stars



As World War II came to and end, their were apparently brides left everywhere that there were men stationed.  This novel follows a group of approximately 600 Australian women as they board an aircraft carrier, also filled with servicemen, bound for England.  First of all, this backdrop just screams for a novel.  Basically, 600 young women headed to husbands they barely know on a rough ship with just as many young men who have just witnessed the horrors of war.  This novel moves pretty slowly but is filled with fascinating characters with rich backgrounds, a beautiful romance and heart-wrenching scenes.  This is my first Jojo Moyes novel but I found it incredibly well written and will most likely be reading everything she has every written.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Snowgeddon - November 25, 2014

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Recent Reviews:

The Remedy for Love by Bill Roorbach (received through NetGalley)
4 stars



Eric Neil's philanthropic gesture to pay for a poor woman's groceries changes the course of his life forever.  He ends up helping her to an isolated cabin in the middle of the Maine woods where they are stuck together in a blizzard to end all blizzards.  This is the second novel I have read by Roorbach and I like his clear writing and sly humor.  I especially enjoyed all the suspense as I read about their tenuous survival and emotional unraveling.  The gritty details on meals, hygiene and logistics in this dangerous situation kept me on the edge of my seat. I do have to admit that the dialogue was occasionally ridiculous and the conversations sometimes grating.  Overall, though, I enjoyed this story of two broken individuals trying to survive, physically and emotionally.  I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 


The Unhappening of Genesis Lee  by Shaklee McArthur (received through Edelweiss)
4 stars



This young adult novel explores the concept of memory and how our memories direct our personalities.  I requested this novel through Edelweiss based on the interesting premise and was not disappointed.  Raised in a society in which a group of people have been genetically enhanced to carry their perfect memories outside of their brains, Genesis (Gena) has been taught that her perfect memory makes her superior to the normal Populace. The ruling Mementi formed the city of Havendale to find sanctuary and master their technological advancements.  Their haven is threatened when thieves are stealing memory links leaving some Mementi without crucial memories.  If this sounds confusing... it kind of is, but it is also fast-paced and completely fascinating.  This is an intelligent entry into young adult fiction with intelligent and courageous characters and a whole lot of action.  Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for making this available for download. 

Urban Fantasy and Ancient Magic - November 18, 2014

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Recent Reviews:

The Secrets of Life and Death by Rebecca Alexander (received through Blogging for Books)
4 stars



Felix Guichard is a professor that studies the occult, both in history and in recent cultures.  Asked to examine a dead teenager with strange symbols written on her, he notices a mysterious woman at the crime scene.  Jackdaw Hammond has a very strange secret.  She should be dead but is instead a living corpse who risks her life to help others in her situation.  The narrative alternates between the present day and the sixteenth century when renowned alchemist John Dee and his assistant, Edward Kelley travel to Hungary/Poland (the geography was a little confusing) to save the Countess Elizabeth Bathory who is dying.  They encounter witches, Inquisitors, and dark magic that threatens their own morality. 

The sixteenth century sections are full of fascinating details that demonstrates the dark belief system at the time.  The "Historical Note" at the end notes that Elizabeth Bathory was a real person found guilty for the deaths of many children.  I found this mix of history and fantasy to work very well in this novel and the present day sections proved even stranger as Professor Guichard and Jackdaw attempt to protect a teenage girl who will die if not surrounded at all times by handwritten symbols.  For the most part the novel flows smoothly however, the romance between the two characters stalled and Guichard's acceptance of Jackdaw seems a very unrealistic.  Overall, though, I liked this book and couldn't put it down once I got started.  I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.